"An Italian Jesuit in Canton and the War on the Chinese: 'Orientalism,' Conquest, and the Eastern Indian Ocean in the 16th Century"

Why Did Matteo Ricci of the Society of Jesus lie about the Muslims of China why did he do it? This talk presents and discusses a passage in one of Matteo Ricci's earliest reports on China in which he describes the Muslims of the city of Canton. I will analyze the passage against the broader context of the Portuguese and Ming China in the late 16th century explaining how Ricci addresses keys issues such the "problem" of Islam and Muslims in the Indian Ocean and their presence in China on the one hand, and plan to attack China on the other.

DUMESC is part of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies. The consortium combines the strengths of our center with those of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations.